Dan Hodges is a former Labour Party and GMB trade union official, and has managed numerous independent political campaigns. He writes about Labour with tribal loyalty and without reservation. You can read Dan's recent work here

Ed Miliband's Labour is running scared of Owen Jones

I’ve just taken a call from a shadow cabinet adviser who asked me whether I’d seen the Daily Politics, with Owen Jones and Labour MP Simon Danczuk crossing swords over welfare. I said I had. (Owen got a proper shoeing from the Honourable Member for Rochdale, by the way.)

“Well, Simon’s going to find he’s in trouble for that. Ed’s office have told people we’re not allowed to criticise Owen Jones,” they said. So I checked with another shadow cabinet source, and it’s true. Apparently, Owen Jones is the Labour Party equivalent of a “Made Man”.

For those not aware, a “Made Man” is a form of honorary status bestowed on members of the Mafia, which means they cannot be harmed in any way unless official sanction has been granted from on high. And amazingly, similar status has been granted to the Justin Bieber of the Left.

“We’ve been told Ed wants to be seen leading a broad coalition,” says the second source. “We’ve all been instructed we can’t debate Owen Jones, and we can’t criticise him. We’ve been warned attacking him would be the equivalent of friendly fire.”

It’s been an open secret in Labour circles for some time that Miliband’s office have been courting the 29-year-old Independent journalist, with one insider saying Miliband’s senior adviser Stewart Wood has been acting as his “handler”. Although Jones’ writing is seen as being influential, he is also an important link to the unions – via the new union-funded think-tank Class which Jones fronts – and the direct action movement, via the newly formed People’s Assembly Against Austerity.

The bizarre thing about the edict issued by Team Miliband is that Jones is also a regular critic of members of Miliband’s own shadow cabinet. Last year he accused the shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne of “shameless hypocrisy” after he claimed (entirely legitimate) parliamentary expenses while calling for a tougher line on welfare. The appointment of Stephen Twigg as shadow education secretary was described as “a capitulation to Tory policies on free schools”. And in 2011 he railed against “the sorts of people who dominate the top of the Labour Party. They are desperately out-of-touch, and almost religiously committed to New Labour dogma.”

In fact, just about the only person who hasn’t properly felt Jones’s progressive wrath is Ed Miliband himself. And Labour’s leader wants things to stay that way.

In particular, he’s desperate to keep him onside over his stance – or non-stance – on welfare. “Ed’s terrified of being attacked on welfare,” said one MP. “At the last PLP meeting he did a presentation of polling on the key battleground issues. There was no polling on welfare. Nothing. Ed just doesn’t want it seen as a battleground issue.”

Which will suit Owen Jones down to the ground. Even if it doesn’t, what does it matter? Labour’s Made Man now has licence to say and write basically what he wants. Simon Danczuk may be better off leaving Owen where is, and taking the cannoli.